New Product Category Rule for Clay Brick Published by ASTM

Words: Dan KamysWith support from the brick industry, ASTM has published a new Product Category Rule (PCR) for clay brick products. This significant milestone allows for development of North American Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for clay brick products, including brick, pavers and structural clay tile. The formal name is the Clay Brick, Clay Brick Pavers, and Structural Clay Tile PCR.
The product group includes manufactured masonry units made by forming and ring prepared mixtures of clay, shale and other materials. These are generically known as clay brick, clay brick pavers, and structural clay tile. Specific products are listed in Section 3.0 definitions and are given in Table 1. The full PCR can be found as a PDF on the ASTM website.  
Design Choices That Endure: Specification and Installation Go Hand-in-Hand
May 2026

Design decisions don’t live on paper; they live on the wall, the ceiling, the floor, and throughout every space. Today’s projects are driven by highly curated design intent, from layered color palettes to mixed-material façades. But once those decisions

Jeff Tew
MAP Partner
Read More
Shaver And Spencer Are 2026's Masonry Hall Of Fame Inductees
May 2026

After a record-breaking 27 nominations, the MCAA is pleased to announce that the selection committee has chosen Ryan Shaver and John Spencer to enter the Masonry Hall Of Fame. They will be formally inducted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 during the MC

Read More
Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More